The scary thing about a virus, or any illnesses for that matter is that no matter how many precautions you take, there’s just no guarantee whether you’ll get it or not.
You could probably wear 100 masks, or eat a truck full of leafy vegetables for a month, but one mistake and everything could tumble down like a house of cards.
That’s what happened to Wizlearn Technologies, a COVID-19 cluster that had taken all reasonable precautions:
CEO of Wizlearn Technologies, A COVID-19 Cluster, Spoke Out & Gave an Advice
In mid-February, 70 employees of a company at Science Park had taken precautions in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Unfortunately, one employee still tested positive for the coronavirus and it ended up being a cluster.
The company which has 70 employees at Science Park were split into two teams to alternate between working from home at the office.
“Some of them asked me if there was a need for this. I told them it was best to have the business continuity plans (BCP) just in case,” Mr Yuk, 45, the CEO of the company told The New Paper.
However, although precautions were made, one 38-year-old male employee tested positive for the virus less than two weeks later on 26 February 2020.
Turned Into A Cluster
Over the course of five days, more staff fell sick and one of them even spread the infection to his family members.
In total, 14 people, of which over half of them were employees, were linked to the cluster at Wizlearn Technologies.
It just goes to show that it takes one mistake for a bunch of people to fall ill with the virus.
Lest you’re unaware, Wizlearn Technologies provides e-learning solutions to companies and schools.
More Measures Introduced By Government Since Then
Many things have changed since then, including the implementation of a 4-week circuit breaker measure in order to prevent further spread of the virus.
For instance, this means that all non-essential businesses and workplaces will have to close and work from home arrangements must be made.
Those who do not adhere to the measures will be prosecuted under the new Bill which will also prohibit social gatherings of any size.
And you die-die must stay at home; there are only 12 reasons why you can leave your house.
One Case Could Turn Into A Cluster
Mr Yuk gave some sound advice in relation to the new measures.
He said, “We won’t know when one case could turn into a cluster. It is best to abide by these measures to protect workers and the community.”
When asked how his company managed being placed on quarantine for two weeks, he said, “It was a very tense and anxious time. The staff were naturally affected.”
He also had to keep employee morale up while trying to take care of sick employees.
“Imagine having to see the news every day that more of your colleagues have fallen ill.”
“If any of them exhibited the slightest symptoms, they had to be tested at the National Centre of Infectious Diseases. It was a hard time for us.”
Advise Companies Not To Overlook Small Details
“If any of them exhibited the slightest symptoms, they had to be tested at the National Centre of Infectious Diseases. It was a hard time for us.”
He also mentioned that none of his sick workers had turned up for work when they were on medical leave and was unsure how the infection spread so rapidly.
His best advice for other companies is to not overlook the small details.
He said, “It is these small things that will make a difference. But if we had not implemented the BCP, I am certain many more of my staff would have been infected.”
The important thing is to take all reasonable precautions to safeguard ourselves and our family. Even then, we must be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
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It might sound like something from an insurance ad, but it’s true.
